AGC: PPI, CPI show mixed patterns; McGraw-Hill new starts fall; retailers, utilities pull back

The Producer Price Index for finished goods climbed 0.9 percent in January, not seasonally adjusted (0.8 percent, seasonally adjusted), but fell 1.0 percent compared to January 2008, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Thursday. The PPI for construction inputs fell 0.3 percent for the month, not seasonally adjusted, and rose 1.8 percent from a year earlier. The PPI for highway and street construction inputs rose 0.4 percent in January and fell 1.4 percent over 12 months. PPIs for other segments fell for the month but rose from a year before: other heavy construction, -0.4 percent and 0.1 percent; nonresidential buildings, -0.3 percent and 1.2 percent; multi-unit residential, -0.1 percent and 2.2 percent; and single-unit residential, -0.4 percent and 4.0 percent, according to the Feb. 23 Data DIGest report.